Animation device for a figure toy

ABSTRACT

Tearing reservoir is pressurized by inflatable sack connected to a bellows mounted in figure toy head and receiving air from water-impervious, hollow torso in fluid communication with bellows through a neck plug connected to the bellows and the torso in such a manner that water entering head when figure toy is immersed will not pass into torso. A reed-type noise maker may be mounted in the neck plug.

States atent r191 Sapkus et al.

[451 Dec. 24, 1974 ANIMATION DEVICE FOR A FIGURE TOY [75] Inventors:Jurgis Sapkus, Manhattan Beach; J.

Stephen Lewis, Pacific Palisades; Colin Vowles, Santa Monica; William R.Yarbrough, Cerritos, all of Calif.

[73] Assignee: Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif.

[22] Filed: Oct. 23, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 408,715

[52] US Cl. 46/116, 46/135 A [51] Int. Cl. A63h 3/24, A63h 5/00 [58]Field of Search 46/116, 117, 135 A, 141

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,827,734 3/1958 Beebe46/135 A Freimauer 46/117 Cagen 46/135 A Primary ExaminerLouis G.Mancene Assistant Examiner-Robert F. Cutting Attorney, Agent, or FirmMaxE. Shirk; Stephen L. King 57 ABSTRACT Tearing reservoir is pressurizedby inflatable sack con- .nected to a bellows mounted in figure toy headand receiving air from water-impervious, hollow torso in fluidcommunication with bellows through a neck plug connected to the bellowsand the torso in such a manner that water entering head when figure toyis immersed will not pass into torso. A reed-type noise maker may bemounted in the neck plug.

6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures ANIMATION DEVICE FOR A FIGURE TOYBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The background of the invention will be setforth in two parts.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains generally tothe field of ani nated figure toys andmore particularly to a new SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide anew and useful animating device for figure toys.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedtearing mechanism for a figure toy including a closed air system and aninflatable sack which pressurizes a tearing reservoir.

According to the present invention, a new and useful animation means isprovided in combination with a figure toy having a torso defining awater-impervious, compressible air chamber. The torso includes a neckopening to which a hollow head is connected by air pump means forming awatertight seal between the head and the torso. This air pump meansincludes a bellows which is sealed to a neck plug which, in turn, issealed to the neck opening.

A first conduit means places the air pump means in fluid communicationwith the torso so that the bellows may be expanded by squeezing thetorso. A second conduit means connects the air pump means to aninflatable sack in a tearing reservoir for pressurizing water containedtherein.

A third conduit means connects the reservoir to ducts provided in a pairof eyes mounted in the figure toy head.

A reed-type noise maker may be mounted in the first conduit means foractuation by air passing from the torso to the bellows or, conversely,from the bellows to the torso.

The reservoir may be filled through an inlet mounted in the mouth of thefigure toy and controlled by a flapper valve.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to likeelements in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical, cross-sectionalview of a figure toy animating means constituting a presently preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, rear-elevational view of a reservoir forming partof the animation means of FIG. 1,

with the rear cover removed to show internal construction;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of an eye member used in the figuretoy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the eye member shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side-elevational view of the eye member of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a rear-elevational view of the eye member of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, top-plan view of a neck plug forming part of theanimation means of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a partial, cross-sectional view taken along line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view of the neck plug of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a partial, cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 ofFIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring again to the drawings,and more particularly to FIG. 1, an animating means constituting apresently preferred embodiment of the invention, generally designated10, is shown in combination with a figure toy 12 having a torso 14including a pair of legs 16, 18, a neck opening and an internal chamber22. Torso 14 is covered with a water-impervious skin 24 and iscompressible so that air in chamber 22 may be forced through neckopening 20 by squeezing torso 14.

Figure toy 12 also includes a hollow head 24 having a pair of eyeopenings, like the one shown at 26, a mouth opening 28, an encompassingside wall and an open bottom 32. An upstanding flange 34 circumscribesopen bottom 32 for connecting head 24 to a depending flange 36 on a neckplug assembly 38 forming part of an air pump means including a thin,latex bellows 40 having an open bottom 42 sealed to a fustoconicalflange 44 on neck plug 38. Neck plug 38 includes a bottom wall 46provided with an inlet 48 comprising a first conduit means placingbellows 40 in fluid communication with chamber 22. A reed-type noisemaker 50 may be placed in inlet 48 for emitting a sound when air passesfrom chamber 22 to bellows 40 or, conversely, from bellows 40 to chamber22.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-6, animating means 10 includes a unitarytearing reservoir 52 having a water chamber 54, a water inlet 53, whichis mounted in mouth opening 28, a pair of water outlets 55, 56, whichare mounted in a pair of eye openings, like the one shown at 26 foroutlet 56, and an encompassing side wall 58 forming an opening which isclosed by a cover member 60 secured to side wall 58 by sonic welding, orthe like. Cover 60 includes an aperture 62 closed by a suitable fitting64 having an inlet 66, on one side of cover 60 outside of chamber 54 andan annular flange 68, on the other side of cover 60 in chamber 54 (asshown in FIG. 1). An inflatable sack is affixed. Sack 70 is of agenerally rectangular shape and includes an upper edge 72 extending topositions behind outlets 55, 56 which are prevented from being sealed byupper edge 72 by small gusset plates 74, 76 formed integrally withreservoir 52 adjacent outlets 55, 56, respectively.

Flow of water through inlet 53 is controlled by a flapper valve 78having a stem 80 passing through a small aperture 82 provided inreservoir 52 adjacent inlet 53.

Stem 80 is retained in position in aperture 82 by an annular flange 84carried by stem 80.

Animating means also includes a pair of eyes, like the one shown at 86,each of which includes an elliptical body portion 88 and a stem 90. Eachstem 90 is provided with a pair of channels 92, 94 communicating withsimilar channel 96, 98 provided in the rear face 100 of body portion 88.A single set of channels 92, 96 or 94, 98 will be employed as waterducts for each water outlet 55, 56 and are provided in eyes 86 in pairsas herein shown to eliminate the necessity of distinguishing betweenright hand and left hand eyes during the assembly of animating means 10.The channel which becomes functional is the one located adjacent nose102 on head 24 and the other channel is sealed by an associated one ofthe ribs 104, 106 provided in water outlets 55, 56, respectively. Sinceface 100 of body portion 88 is adhesively secured in opening 26, thechannel 96, 98 which becomes functional will form a closed duct causingwater flowing from the applicable outlet 55, 56 to flow against nose102.

Referring now to FIGS. and 7-10, inflatable sack 70 is connected tobellows 40 by a conduit 104 comprising a second conduit means, having afirst end 106 connected to inlet 66 on fitting 64 and a second end 108connected to an inlet-outlet fitting 110 on neck plug 38. A vent 112 isalso provided on neck plug 38 for preventing excessive pressure frombuilding up in bellows 40. A cage 114 is provided around vent 122 toprevent bellows 40 from closing vent 112.

Neck plug 38 is also provided with a plurality of arcuate openings 116,118 and 120 through which sound from noise maker 50 will pass from head24 after first passing through the thin side wall of bellows 40.

The operation of animating means 10 will now be described in connectionwith FIG. 1. Reservoir 52 may be filled with water by causing water toflow through inlet 53 unseating flapper valve 78 which willautomatically be seated again by water pressure in chamber 54. Torso 14may then be squeezed to compress the air in chamber 22 causing it toflow through noise maker 50 into bellow 40 and through conduit 104 intoinflatable sack 70 causing it to become inflated and pressurize thewater in chamber 54 which then flows through outlets 55, 56 and anassociated one of the channels 92, 94, 96, and 98 into engagement withnose 102 from whence the water flows down along the edge of nose 102 insimulation of tears issuing from eyes 86.

When torso 14 is released, air stored in sack 70 and bellows 40 willflow through noise maker 50 and back into chamber 22.

The watertight connection between neck plug 38, bellows 40 and neckopening make it possible to immerse figure toy 12 in water withoutgetting water into air chamber 22.

While the particular animating means herein shown and described indetail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing theadvantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merelyillustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention andthat no limitations are intended to the details of construction ordesigh herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims, whichform a part of this disclosure.

Whenever the term means is employed in these claims, this term is to beinterpreted as defining the corresponding structure illustrated anddescribed in this specification or the equivalent of the same.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a figure toy having a hollow head and a torso,said torso defining a waterimpervious, compressible air chamber andhaving a neck opening, animating means comprising:

air pump means connecting said head to said neck opening in water-tightrelationship with said torso;

first conduit means placing said air pump means in fluid communicationwith said torso;

a water reservoir mounted in said figure toy;

air-inflatable pressurizing means mounted in said reservoir forpressurizing water stored therein; and second conduit means connectingsaid pressurizing means to said air pump means for supplying compressedair thereto, whereby said reservoir may be pressurized by compressingsaid torso.

2. A combination as stated in claim 1 including a pair of eyes in saidfigure toy and duct means connecting said reservoir to said eyes.

3. A combination as stated in claim 2 wherein said eyes include bodyportions, stems and channels formed in said stems and body portions forforming said ducts.

4. A combination as stated in claim 1 wherein said first conduit meansincludes a reed-type noise maker.

5. A combination as stated in claim 1 wherein said air pump meanscomprises a neck plug mounted in said neck opening and a bellowsconnected to said neck plug, said first conduit means being mounted insaid neck plug.

6. In combination with a figure toy having a hollow head and a torso,said torso defining a waterimpervious, compressible air chamber andhaving a neck opening, animating means comprising:

air pump means connecting said head to said neck opening in water-tightrelationship with said torso;

first conduit means placing said air pump means in fluid communicationwith said torso;

a pair of eye members mounted in said head;

a water reservoir mounted in said figure toy;

duct means placing said water reservoir in fluid communication with saideye member;

air-inflatable pressurizing means mounted in said reservoir forpressurizing water stored therein; and

second conduit means connecting said pressurizing means to said air pumpmeans for supplying compressed air thereto, whereby said reservoir maybe pressurized by compressing said torso.

1. In combination with a figure toy having a hollow head and a torso,said torso defining a water-impervious, compressible air chamber andhaving a neck opening, animating means comprising: air pump meansconnecting said head to said neck opening in water-tight relationshipwith said torso; first conduit means placing said air pump means influid communication with said torso; a water reservoir mounted in saidfigure toy; air-inflatable pressurizing means mounted in said reservoirfor pressurizing water stored therein; and second conduit meansconnecting said pressurizing means to said air pump means for supplyingcompressed air thereto, whereby said reservoir may be pressurized bycompressing said torso.
 2. A combination as stated in claim 1 includinga pair of eyes in said figure toy and duct means connecting saidreservoir to said eyes.
 3. A combination as stated in claim 2 whereinsaid eyes include body portions, stems and channels formed in said stemsand body portions for forming said ducts.
 4. A combination as stated inclaim 1 wherein said first conduit means includes a reed-type noisemaker.
 5. A combination as stated in claim 1 wherein said air pump meanscomprises a neck plug mounted in said neck opening and a bellowsconnected to said neck plug, said first conduit means being mounted insaid neck plug.
 6. In combination with a figure toy having a hollow headand a torso, said torso defining a water-impervious, compressible airchamber and having a neck opening, animating means comprising: air pumpmeans connecting said head to said neck opening in water-tightrelationship with said torso; first conduit means placing said air pumpmeans in fluid communication with said torso; a pair of eye membersmounted in said head; a water reservoir mounted in said figure toy; ductmeans placing said water reservoir in fluid communication with said eyemember; air-inflatable pressurizing means mounted in said reservoir forpressurizing water stored therein; and second conduit means connectingsaid pressurizing means to said air pump means for supplying compressedair thereto, whereby said reservoir may be pressurized by compressingsaid torso.